


Diplomats

by alec



Series: Hijack Shifters!AU [5]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alpha Jack Frost, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Attempted Seduction, Come Marking, Feral Behavior, M/M, Mating Bond, Omega Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Pack Dynamics, Possessive Jack Frost, Protective Jack Frost, Rough Sex, Scent Marking, Self-Lubrication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 18:35:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5508464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alec/pseuds/alec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dad, I should <em>not</em> be the one to go do this," Jack protested, previously crossed arms coming out in emphasis as he spoke. "At least, not alone."</p>
<p>"You aren't going to be alone, Jack. You'll have Hiccup and at least a half dozen other packmates with you when you go," North replied calmly, which poked at a brewing fury inside of him. The scent of anger was beginning to roll off of Jack and as strong as his love for Jack was, Hiccup instinctively took a step back from the overly pungent smell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diplomats

**Author's Note:**

> **Anonymous said:**  
>  (For omegaverse) Were there any other wolves that showed an interest in ~~Jack~~ Hiccup (whoops, slightly misread the original prompt)? Maybe some jealousy when Hiccup was chosen as Jack's mate? Most of their pack seemed to know Jack was going to choose Hiccup anyway, but I may as well ask.  
>  **faisyah865 said:**  
>  Hey!! For your HiJack Shifters!AU, I have a prompt! Like, another pack passes by and some of the pack members make fun of Hiccup and about how he's the mate of the pack alpha and Hiccup becomes super insecure and Jack comes in and just gets overprotective and stuff and some sob fest happens where Jack convinces Hiccup he's perfect to him and sex occurs afterwards cuz what is an omegaverse without sex? Sorry this turned out longer than I thought. :3  
>  **attemptingtotumble said:**  
>  Could be an omegaverse prompt - where are the villains of our protagonists (Pitch, alvin, dagur, etc.)? Are they members of the same pack or others? How did they meet Jack and Hiccup?

"Dad, I should _not_ be the one to go do this," Jack protested, previously crossed arms coming out in emphasis as he spoke. "At least, not alone."

"You aren't going to be alone, Jack. You'll have Hiccup and at least a half dozen other packmates with you when you go," North replied calmly, which poked at a brewing fury inside the younger alpha. The scent of anger was beginning to roll off of Jack and as strong as his love for Jack was, Hiccup instinctively took a step back from the overly pungent smell.

"You know damn well what I meant when I said 'alone'. Our packs have never been 'good friends' — we've coexisted at best, if you can even call it that. We are on the brink of war with them and you're wanting to send me — not you — _me_ to handle the diplomatic relations between us and a pack at least one and a half times our size who are twice as vicious as we are."

North let out a long breath before stepping forward towards Jack and putting both hands on the younger alpha's squared shoulders. "Jack, you are going to be the pack alpha someday, and maybe someday soon. Whether you want to or not, you will have this in your future and you need to learn how to handle situations like this if you're going to protect your pack. Whether the other pack is actually 'insane' or 'deranged', we need their trade for the dyes if we're going to be able to keep producing things to trade to the humans for things we _need_ to survive. Whether you want to do something or not is no longer a question when you have a pack under your care, and you need to begin now, while the full weight of that isn't upon you."

Jack closed his eyes, breathing deep, and though there was still some rage passing through their bond, Hiccup could feel a steady calm fall on top of it like a lid, keeping it in check for the moment. "I understand that, dad. But I'm not ready for this."

"You've gone with me before; you've been going with me since you were barely more than a pup. You know what to do, and you'll do it well. I wouldn't be sending you if I didn't believe you couldn't."

Jack turned to Hiccup, both the look in his eyes and the bond asking Hiccup for assistance. Being Jack's mate, there were no pack matters that were private from Hiccup. The omega sighed. "Jack, I don't like this either, but he's right. We need to do this and we need to know how to lead a pack, and that's going to come with things we don't want to do but that we have to." The wave of hurt and betrayal that Hiccup felt stung at him like a sharp knife and he recoiled like he'd been hurt. "If you don't need to learn how to be a pack leader, Jack, I at least do. You might have been groomed for the position, but I don't know how to be a pack alpha's omega. I've got a lot that I need to learn, and that includes how to conduct diplomatic relations. And North is right as well; if we don't get more dyes, we're not going to have enough to sell to be able to get the medicine and breadstuff we need to get through winter."

"That doesn't mean we should be going _alone_ ," Jack argued, against both of them. It was a position Hiccup hated finding himself in, and he understood Jack but it hurt personally all the same.

"Jack," North began. "This isn't just about the other pack. This isn't just about keeping an alliance held together by a thread. This isn't just about trading. This is about showing other packs that you're an alpha able to lead; that there's a viable next-in-line to hold our pack together when this alpha is gone. And even more importantly, it's about showing _this_ pack that you're an alpha able to lead them. I have great faith in you, and the pack has great love for you and for Hiccup, but you need to prove to them that you're more than just the pack alpha's successor. You need to prove that you _will_ be the pack alpha. And that means that at some point, you can't follow me around with your tail between your legs and your ears down anymore. You need to be the one leading them to find that same faith that I have. I need to know that I've left my pack happy and in firm hands when I die, Jack."

The white-haired boy's head was bowed by this point. It was a display of concession, but it was a wordless one. Jack was too proud and perhaps too cocky to admit aloud the feelings that Hiccup alone was privy to, but North seemed to understand the silence, and seemed to understand his son well enough to not speak. Jack had always been a boy who was better to let approach than to approach yourself.

A long silence hung in the air for a moment, then: "You said there would be others accompanying us?"

* * *

Running through open woods felt amazing. Jack's legs had felt stiff for so long, the little excursions and patrols and hunts having given a taste of freedom without the promise of follow-through. Sprinting at full speed, feeling autumn leaves crunching under his paws, he felt free for the first time in ages, and it wasn't just the wolf side of him that wanted to explore everything around him, to nose into every pile and to chase the rabbits that he saw scattering rapidly in the distance. Because the _smells_. This was unclaimed land; no pack resided here. There were no heavy, lingering smells of other wolves or of the confines of living — just wild, pure nature, with the harsh crisp of a chilling winter in the breeze.

Beside him, Hiccup's head was set, straight ahead, eyes focused. That was just one of the innumerable things Jack loved about the omega: when he found a task to do, it would become his only focus, and he'd work and toil through good-enough solutions until he found one suitable enough to be perfect. Jack could watch him at the bench in their den for hours, with his favourite moments always being the distraction preventing Hiccup from realising his tongue was poking out of his mouth slightly. Jack couldn't see from this height if Hiccup's tongue was poking out. Though the two were roughly the same height as humans (with Hiccup's body still threatening to shoot up a few more inches over the next summer), his wolf form was half the height of Jack's, a combination of both his gender as well as his smaller frame. That left him without a great deal of power, but for all of the running that they had done over the daylight hours since their party had left pack lands, Hiccup was still barely panting, and was keeping up with Jack's impressive gait with ease. Jack was fast, but Hiccup was fast and enduring.

A slight shift in the breeze towards the cool made Jack think to get more blankets when they returned to the den. There were already so many, and Hiccup was always so warm, but an alpha needed to build his omega a proper nest, and the winds were telling him that this winter would be especially cold.

Jack heard the lunge from the leaves crunching on the ground right before he felt the jaw clamp down on the end of his tail. The bite was fleeting and there wasn't much force behind it, but Jack skid to a halt on the leaved path, turning as he went, first instincts to use his body to block Hiccup entirely from the other wolf. Jack was growling and head ducked low before both his eyes and his nose caught up with his drive for self-and-mate-protection and he perked his ears back in embarrassment.

The golden coat of Astrid wasn't quite slumped over, but her shoulders were hunched low and she was breathing deeply, wide eyes trained on Jack as she panted, the rest of their party beginning to catch up with them as the golden omega caught her breath.

_"I know— that you like ru— nning— and all— but we've been going— for half a day— and could probably use a break."_

A bit further behind were Aster and Snotlout; Jack knew for a fact that the older, grey wolf could match pace with Jack, but it seemed he'd taken on the role of making sure the group stayed together.

A job which Jack should be doing. The alpha ducked his head.

_"I can hear a stream about a ten minute walk from here, to the south,"_ Hiccup spoke, walking out from behind Jack. _"Let's regroup, drink, rest, and probably find shelter for the night. The sun is setting soon and I don't know if we should be approaching another pack in the dark."_ Astrid nodded her head at him, then turned around and ran back a bit to where Aster and Snotlout were, relaying the information to them. A feeling of deflation fell over Jack. He should be the one keeping track of his packmates, and he should be the one to make these kinds of decisions. He didn't resent his mate for saying them; he just felt shame that he hadn't been the one to do what was clearly his responsibility.

Jack felt Hiccup's tongue lap at the side of his face before the omega nuzzled his head against Jack's.

_"Everyone will make mistakes when they're learning, Jack. This is why North has us going now."_

It took a moment for Jack to get over his wounded pride, but then he reciprocated Hiccup's affections, rubbing his head against the smaller wolf's.

_"Let's go to this river, then."_

* * *

Night fell without the party deciding to move on. A small fire was built, but they only stayed human long enough to get it burning, the cold air biting against their naked skin. Jack had them move further up the hill that the river ran alongside, so that the cool air of the water wouldn't drift over them or leave more mist to hang in the air and chill them as they slept, but otherwise the night was passed with the small group of five huddled together, talking and telling stories to pass the time.

The stars were bright overhead and the fire was low as Hiccup's wolf arced its back against Jack's stomach, the white wolf completely encircling the small omega and sheltering him from the elements.

Jack might not be a good leader, but he was at least going to be a good mate.

* * *

Jack knew when they hit the packlands of the Berserkers. They had been (relative) neighbours, separated only by a day or two of travel from Jack's own pack, since shortly after Jack's birth, and he always thought the name struck him as odd for the name of a pack. "Berserkers" seemed to show no commonality, no unionship, in anything but in violence and bloodlust. Jack had always felt that it would weigh on him heavily were he a member of that pack, and in his belief that was what had happened for most of the pack. They seemed crude, aggressive, and malformed; not physically, but in nature. The power differences between the genders and especially around the pack alpha family had always felt _wrong_ to Jack, and in some way he hoped that it wasn't just because it was foreign to him — he hoped that this was _wrong_ everywhere, and that the love and equality and freedom of his own pack were the norm. But there weren't many packs this far north in the wilderness, with the dustings of tundra just a four day run from his packlands.

As their party approached the pack, they found themselves greeted by a welcoming party of the pack alpha Oswald himself, surrounded by omegas and two betas, each who held a plain tunic out in offering. It was a courtesy that each pack was obligated to provide to visitors — or at least one that was obligated to provide those they wished not to offend. Nudity was common among packmembers and shifters as a whole, but it was a sign of respect to provide clothing to those who came as visitors. As each member of Jack's delegation shifted to human, they received their temporary outfit, some fitting too small (the tunic bulging under Aster's muscles and broad shoulders) and some fitting too adorable large (the shoulder of tunic on Hiccup continued to fall down, and the sleeves were too long for his spiny fingers). Oswald searched behind the party with his eyes, scanning for North, but Jack stepped forward and accepted the pack alpha's tunic from one of the beta's hands. Oswald's eyes widened in surprise as Jack struggled to get into the tunic.

He _would_ struggle to get into the tunic. When he was needing to look important and powerful in front of his own pack and another pack, he would struggle with putting on basic clothing like it were the most impossible thing he could face.

When he finally had the tunic over him and sorted properly, he squared his shoulders to try and gain some posture before addressing Oswald. "My father North, alpha of the Frost pack, offers his gratitude in your meeting with us and in the continued relationship our two packs share. He sends me, his son and the future alpha of our pack, as delegate in his absence, though he," Jack's posturing became much more relaxed. "He does want me to tell you 'hello', and also that he hopes you haven't gotten, uh," Jack was downright blushing at this point and his voice was headed towards inaudible. "Any fatter since he last saw you."

Oswald studied Jack with interested eyes, before bursting out laughing. "Aha, only from North would that be an introduction and not an insult. That's brave of you to relay those words at all, young alpha." Jack's chest puffed out the slightest bit at the compliment, and Hiccup felt pride flow through the bond. "But your father. Is he unwell?"

"No, Alpha Oswald, he is fine, though still a little cocky and not too skinny himself. But he sent me as his delegate and I hope that you will find me a suitable replacement for my father for our negotiations."

Oswald smiled, something that it looked like his face didn't do enough of anymore. "You seem well enough composed. I remember when you were just a pup. North must be proud of you to send you in his place, and so I welcome you and your packmates to the Berkserker packlands with warmth. Heather," he said, turning to address the black-haired beta who had been holding Jack's tunic. "Take our guests to the fires and get them some food and water while we talk in my den." The girl nodded her head, before smiling at the Jack's party and turning them away towards the glow of a roaring fire; even in the days now, it was becoming better to have fire at all times available. Enticed by food (and probably the beta herself), Snotlout eagerly followed, with Aster and Astrid in tow shortly behind him. Hiccup began to move, but then hesitated and paused to turn back to Jack, head cocked to the side in a wordless question. Jack stepped up to his mate, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and rubbing their faces together. "I'll be fine. I can handle this. And I have faith in you that you can handle the others while I'm busy. Particularly Snotlout," he said with a grin.

"Always Snotlout," Hiccup replied, smiling and feeling just a little warmer. Jack rubbed their cheeks together once more, caught in the moment of bliss. He scented Hiccup, inhaling the fresh smell of his beautiful home, before he let Hiccup go, who followed the others to the campsite.

"I see you've taken a mate," Oswald's voice came from behind, and Jack turned scarlet, sudden realisation that everything that he had just done had been on display for the pack alpha he was supposed to look mighty and composed towards. He turned sheepishly towards the larger alpha, who seemed to be smiling. "Ah, I remember being newly mated. You didn't realise that you were missing such a large piece of your own happiness until you had found it."

Jack looked back as Hiccup walked towards the camp, stumbling a bit in the most ungraceful fashion, and Jack smiled.

"Yeah."

* * *

The thing about being watched by a group of wolves, even if you yourself are a wolf and live with wolves, is that it can still be unsettling when you cannot read their scents or know their personalities. Hiccup knew the dangers that these strangers could present, and knew that if they chose to, they could easily dispatch all four of them, and so he had to control his heartbeat and trust that the Berserkers would abide by the alliance rather than devour the easy prey that had stumbled into their dens. Following Heather through the camp, the Berserker pack was out in full force, human and wolf eyes alike peeking out from behind den curtains or from where they were seated on tree branches or standing about performing daily duties. Hiccup and the others were an oddity, an addition — a potential threat or, a potential harvest. It wasn't a feeling that Hiccup was enjoying.

Luckily, Heather guided them to the large campfire, seating them on logs that had been dragged around it as a place to sit, and motioning quickly to another packmate to go and bring some food and water. Hiccup felt incredibly thankful that she hadn't left them alone.

"Hello again, Aster," she said politely, nodding her head at the tall alpha when she turned her attention back towards them.

Aster had been chosen to accompany them on their journey because he was one of the senior pack members, one of North's righthand men, who had accompanied him on previous visits to the Berserker and other packs. He was supposed to be their — Jack's — guidance on the journey, though the fact that he was down here and not up there made Hiccup start to feel that he was more of a backup solution than a teacher.

"Heather," he replied. "You're looking quite well since I last saw you; grown up quite beautifully, eh?" There was no flirting behind his words, Aster having taken a mate shortly after Hiccup was born. Snotlout, however, seemed to agree that she was magnificently beautiful. The smell of Jack aroused and attracted was one of the best scents in the world, but Hiccup wasn't sure if it was because he was already mated to another alpha, because Snotlout was his family, or because it was just _Snotlout_ , but the shift in his scent to that of attraction that started rolling off of him was making Hiccup want to vomit. As a beta, Heather's sense of smell wasn't as strong as the others, but the rest of the Frost pack looked at Snotlout, as well as some of the passing Berserker omegas and alphas, the latter of whom began to growl lightly. Hiccup smacked Snotlout's arm on the side, hard.

"Tone it down now, Snotlout. You reek of attraction and it's going to get us all killed," he said, whispering as best he could to _try_ and keep this under wraps.

" _I_ can't help it if she's the most beautiful beta I've ever seen," Snotlout said, quite loudly, and Hiccup buried his face in his hands, wondering yet again what North was thinking sending _Snotlout_ with them on a _diplomatic_ journey. Luckily, Hiccup was relieved of further obligation to control the situation as a strong smack on the back of Snotlout's head from Aster shook the younger alpha and, his focus broken, his scent turned more towards hostility and voice more to grumbling.

When he looked over at Heather, she seemed amused by the situation, a sly grin on her face, seeming to take a particular pleasure in watching Snotlout's beating, before she sat herself down near Astrid at the far end of the log. She met Hiccup's pleading eyes in a nonchalant gaze.

"Don't worry, he still has far more tact than my brother. We see much worse around here," she said, and the level of poise that she seemed to speak with impressed Hiccup deeply.

Cooked, prepared food — of any kind — tasted delicious after two days of raw kills. That wasn't to say that rabbit was distasteful, because Hiccup had enjoyed the meal from last night, but spices and having the food cooked over a fire, warming his belly, tasted amazing and made his mouth water for more. Eating as a human also brought with it a certain refined palate. As a wolf, things tasted well enough, but the desire to eat was always driven by a need to survive; as a human, eating could be something to be enjoyed for what it was. If that perhaps led to a little overindulgence, that was just something to accept. Not that that had ever benefited Hiccup any, try as he might.

Letting out a long, relieved breath of air after taking a long drink of water, Astrid sighed happily, earning a chuckle from Heather. The two had been talking intensely while the blonde omega ate, and it seemed like Astrid had finally met a match for intensity and interests in combat for the sake of sport and challenge; Hiccup had been a little preoccupied still with the new surroundings and the overwhelming mix of scents, but had picked up conversation that Heather, too, seemed to like hunting as a human, for the thrill of pushing herself further. Hiccup's head was spinning, though, senses overwhelmed.

"You get used to it after a while," Aster said in a low voice, leaning over towards Hiccup. How bad did he look that someone else was able to pick up on it? "You'll adjust."

"How far away are your packlands? It's been a few years since I last had the opportunity to visit," Heather asked, turning her attention back to the group at large, the soon-setting sun forming a halo around her black hair.

"About two days," Aster replied, lowering the skewer of cooked deer meat from his mouth. "One if you start at dawn with fast runners."

"Well then, you'll need to stay the night," she said with a smile, and was it Hiccup's imagination or did she move closer to Astrid? "We can give you shelter for the night with a few empty dens, so you will hopefully find one fewer night in the cold, open air."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Hiccup replied, a slight shiver running up his spine making his point better than anything he could have said otherwise. Putting down the finished meat skewer against the side of the log, Hiccup stood up, the stretch in his limbs feeling wonderful after a half day of running followed by sitting lazily. "If you'll excuse me a moment, I'm going to find the treeline; I've had quite a lot to drink."

"Snotlout, you can join Hiccup," Astrid said quickly, eyes on Hiccup the whole time.

"I don't want to be on babysitting duty. I'm sure Hiccup can relieve himself just fine."

"Snotlout, go," Aster said with force. As much as he didn't want Snotlout to follow him, Hiccup understood the reasoning, and perhaps kind of did want Snotlout to follow him. Even if he was mated, he was a small, foreign omega travelling through an unknown and unfamiliar pack. Snotlout wasn't his babysitter so much as he would be his bodyguard, in Jack's absence.

The layout of the terrain was unfamiliar to the two boys, and with Snotlout grumbling through most of the way, it was Hiccup leading the alpha, trying to dodge between hut to hut, trying to distinguish the woods and forest through the smell of so many unfamiliar scents. After three minutes of walking around and getting increasingly aggravated that he couldn't find a damn tree in the middle of a forest, Hiccup groaned, ready to round on Snotlout and at least get the alpha to shut _up_ with his complaining.

"Oh ho ho, do my eyes deceive me?" came a voice from behind Hiccup. Immediately the smell of alpha mixed with something else sent another chill up Hiccup's spine, but this one wasn't from the cold. "It IS you, Hiccup. I can't believe that you're here, in our packlands, in front of me."

Hiccup turned to face the newcomer; there were four of them, but the speaker was standing at the forefront. As he took a step towards Hiccup, the change in light was enough to reveal an oval face, a the beginnings of a patchy beard growing in at odd angles, and — unsettling enough — three deep gouges from claw marks raked deep across his face. That his left eye was intact at all was nothing short of miraculous. But everything about the alpha and his gaze made Hiccup's stomach churn.

"Do I, do I know you?" Hiccup asked, confusion mixed with a bit of fear in his words.

"Oh Hiccup, you wound me! Don't you remember me? It's Dagur! Your buddy! We met years ago when we visited your pack." Dagur's almost maniacal expression was met with a stare of confusion. "You were much shorter then, but I followed you around, we spent time together, we talked, we laughed, we visited your den and you showed me your drawings."

Sudden memories flooded back to Hiccup like a punch to the gut, of being younger and an older alpha following him around, almost menacingly, stalking him around their camp and not leaving him alone. Following him home, pushing his way into his room, rummaging through his things. His scent had put Hiccup on edge, made him rife with fear and disgust, and he'd spent the whole time the Berserkers had been visiting trying to avoid him, trying to avoid his advances. He couldn't sleep in his den for a week, joining his father in his, because Dagur's scent had lingered. A wave of fear crashed through Hiccup, and he felt frozen, felt like he had the same expression on his face as prey when it was cornered by a wolf and knew it.

"O-oh, y-you. It's you," Hiccup said weakly, wishing he could take it back once he had. Maybe playing dumb would have been the safer option. "H-hi."

"Ah, and just when I thought this day couldn't get any better, my most beautiful omega friend shows up in my camp," he said in an almost song-like voice. "And now you're so much older! So much bigger! You've grown a lot since I last saw you." The lilt in his voice set Hiccup's heart on the edge.

"You know this guy, Hiccup?" Snotlout asked, and Hiccup wanted to scream at him. To scream both _'Are you that mentally incapable?!'_ and to scream _'Help me, for the love of everything sacred, HELP ME!'_ but he was terrified of Dagur, didn't know what to do, couldn't use his voice.

"Of course he does. This picture of perfection and I are best friends, even though he's from, well, _your_ pack," Dagur replied, contempt dripping from his voice at the end. "But that's okay, that's okay. I don't hold it against him. He's far too beautiful, far too precious to blame for something so easily fixed."

"Uh, Dagur, you want _him_?" one of the other alphas who had followed Dagur asked. "He's so tiny and weak, he'd probably break in two trying to—"

The smile on Dagur's face as he turned around toward his friend sent ice through Hiccup's veins, the look of pure madness and evil in a package so twisted it could be nothing short of insanity. "Of course I want him, you imbecile. He's just perfect for what I need, and he'd make a great addition to our pack." Dagur rounded on Hiccup, moving closer, and the omega's eyes were wide with the fear that was radiating off of him. "You know, I wanted to court you when I met you last time. I knew that you'd say yes, but I felt that I should give you a little more time to blossom, to grow up— and here you are! Like the Moon delivered you to me, right when it was perfect. Don't you see, we're meant for each other. The next pack alpha and an omega from the Frost pack, we'll unite our two packs together and we'll be unstoppable." His eyes were crazed, his face so close, and Hiccup couldn't move.

"Uh, he's already mated, uh, Dagur, was it?" Snotlout finally chimed in, far too little, far far too late. Dagur's eyes shot up towards him, smile falling from his face slowly, which was an eerie sight to watch from underneath the alpha.

"What?"

"He's mated to Jack, _our_ next pack alpha. Kind of funny, really, the parallels between—"

"Shut up," Dagur said, stopping Snotlout immediately. Slowly, Dagur looked down at Hiccup, sight far as though he were calculating something in his mind. "Hiccup, how could you? I waited for you, all these years."

"Dagur, I'm sorry." — _Be careful, Hiccup, he's clearly insane_ — "I've already taken Jack as my mate, and I love him completely."

Dagur took a step back, examining Hiccup closely, raking his eyes up and down in confusion. Then he shook his head.

"I'm hurt, Hiccup. But this is something that I know you'll come around to, if you give it time. There's nothing that he can give you that I can't, and I'm sure that you will see that when I become pack alpha." He moved closer again, moving into Hiccup's space.

"Hey, you can't talk about Jack like that! He's our next pack alpha!"

"Dagur, you should back down. This runt isn't worth it, wasn't worth it in the first place," another of Dagur's goons.

The alpha was still moving closer and closer to Hiccup. "We can fix all of this, Hiccup, and we can be together, just the way that we were meant to be. It doesn't matter what you've done before this, I'll forgive you. We can start our lives together now that we're here, together, at last."

He touched Hiccup, the palm of his hand coming into contact with the exposed flesh on the back of Hiccup's neck. Over the only spot on Hiccup's tiny body that had any meaning, had any worth, had any sacredness. Over Jack's mating bite.

Hiccup did the only thing he could at that point, and screamed as loud as he could.

* * *

Jack hadn't been able to pay attention to what Oswald was saying for almost ten minutes now. He was on a delegation for his father. This was important for the continuation of their packs. People would die if he didn't handle this properly. Hiccup had the others watching over him; he had two alphas with him. But none of that could stop the fear that was pouring in from Hiccup through their bond, flooding Jack, every instinct as a mate and an alpha to jump up and protect his omega. But he had to stay here. He had to trust Aster, and Astrid, and even _Snotlout_ to keep his mate safe. He couldn't screw this up.

Oswald was still talking, about something that Jack wasn't able to follow, none of the words sticking in his mind. He was sure that he was trying to extend the deal, trying to flatter Jack and — in all good intentions, he assumed, because Oswald had in fact proven himself to be a surprisingly kind and agreeable man — convince Jack to provide more wool in exchange for the dyes. He was trying to show him the best that he had to offer, to extend his hand graciously.

A shrill scream cut through the entrance to the den, the sound of pure terror.

"What on Earth was that?" Oswald asked aloud, but Jack was already gone, the skin over the doorway still falling back into place.

* * *

It would be easy to find even if dozens of Berserkers weren't also running towards the area, because the fear pouring through the bond from Hiccup drove into Jack's mind, isolating his scent until that was all he could smell, and he followed his nose, already a shaggy, white wolf. He didn't care anymore about what they thought. The entire Berserker pack could burn, every single one of them, if his mate was harmed, and if they thought that this was an attack, then they were the ones who landed the first blow and Jack would take up this war.

The scene was something horrendous when Jack arrived. There was a ring that Jack shoved his way through, taking in the two sides; Aster, Astrid, and Snotlout were shifted, forming a barrier around Hiccup, who had also shifted but was shaking violently. Aster and Snotlout were growling lowly, and Jack had never seen so much death behind Astrid's eyes before. The arena reeked of Hiccup's fear and anxiety, and of the rage of battle, and Jack's stomach felt sick at the thought that he had let his mate suffer like this for so long.

Across the divide, there were four alphas that Jack had never seen before. The one at the front was massive, his eyes wild, and his teeth bared, and as Hiccup ran over to Jack, rubbing against him, trying to crawl underneath and hide under Jack — something the alpha had never seen the omega reduced to before — the alpha that Jack wanted to kill turned his head towards him, eyes focusing on Jack.

_"So, you must be Hiccup's mate. Jack, I believe? We haven't met before,"_ he said, and his voice alone set Jack growling with the others. _"I'm Dagur, and I seem to believe that you've claimed the omega that should have been my mate. This can all be handled very cleanly, without the need for much violen—"_

_"I will give you four seconds to give me one reason to not tear your throat out,"_ Jack howled, anger flowing through him until he could feel nothing but heat in every vein of his body.

_"Jack, Jack, Jack,"_ the other alpha tutted. _"So quick to jump to violence. It pains me to think that my darling Hiccup accidentally mated himself to someone whose so willing to go right to battle, without knowing even anything about the situation. Hiccup and I were just talking, and I must have accidentally put my hand somewhere he didn't want, but all of this has blown far out of proportion. I say we just forget the whole situation and move on."_

Even if Hiccup hadn't been involved at all, Jack would have been growling by now. _"First of all, Hiccup is not your darling_ anything _. Even a beta could scent that much."_ Jack started to walk up to where Aster and the others were gathered, Hiccup following at Jack's rear, pressed against it, cowering even as he was walking. Jack had never seen Hiccup so thoroughly scared, and he was beginning to see why. Squaring up next to Astrid, who didn't take her eyes off of Dagur even to look at him: _"Second, I already know enough about the situation. All three of my packmates that you haven't completely scared senseless are braced to attack you —_ specifically _you — if I so much as grunt, and I trust_ them _. So between the fear that is pouring out of_ MY _mate and the anger from my pack, I'm sensing that I have every right to be violent here."_

_"Really if anybody should be violent here, it should be me; you took Hiccup away from me, didn't even give me a chance to mate what was rightfully mine. But if you're so clear on fighting, let's go."_ The wolf licked its lips deliciously, sadistically. _"I've always found that fighting can settle things better than words can. But do you really want to go up against me? I mean, look at me,_ Frost _. I'm clearly the stronger alpha. And even if I weren't — which I am — you're surrounded by my pack. How many of you do you think would escape our packlands if you attacked one of our own, much less our next pack alpha?"_

Jack could hear some of the wolves on the sides growling, and without thinking, he moved closer to the others, only to feel movement at his side. He looked back — a dangerous thing to do with Dagur staring him down — to see Astrid having moved to his side. Aster's tail swung into view from behind Jack, and he could smell Snotlout to his right. The four of them were forming a circle in all directions, with Hiccup in the centre. Jack's heart was racing fast; the fight was coming, and as much as he already hated Dagur, he knew that he was right — their chances of getting out of this were almost nonexistant. But they were shielding Hiccup. They were prepared to die defending his mate, and it seemed they were waiting on him. On Jack's word.

_"So, what's it going to be, Jack? Surrender and let Hiccup finally be with his true mate, or watch everyone you love be killed?"_

In the end — and the end happened almost too quickly to see — it turned out to be neither of those. A night black wolf ran from the side, crashing headlong into Dagur's shoulder, throwing him off and tackling him to the ground. Dagur bit out with his jaw, trying to sink his teeth in, but missed as the wolf leapt out of the way; this gave Dagur the opportunity to flip himself over, facing down the newcomer who was now standing between Dagur and Jack.

_"Sister, what do you think you're doing here? This is nothing that you need to be involved with."_

_"Dagur, what are you_ thinking _. This is so far out of line, even from you,"_ the black wolf — the beta from earlier — barked loudly. _"These are our_ guests _, and one of the few packs willing to even_ talk _with us. And you're going to risk that all so you can face down_ another _pack alpha and try to take their_ mate _?"_

_"Heather, it's not like that; Hiccup is_ my _mate, Jack just claimed him before we could—"_ Jack was growling loudly but Heather interrupted before Jack could.

_"Hiccup is MATED. And from the smells even I can get, he's nothing but a tiny, furry ball of fear right now. Dad sent you away for a reason, and you should not have come back early."_

_"Father is not going to be pack alpha forever, Heather, and I shouldn't be kept away when—"_

_"FATHER might not be pack alpha forever,"_ a voice boomed over everything else, before falling eerily calm. _"But he is still the pack alpha. And what a pack alpha says is what a pack does. And you are a member of this pack, and I told you to go hunt for the deer down by the mountainside."_ The magnificent wolf forme of Oswald came into view, moving between Jack and Dagur almost to where Jack couldn't see the offending alpha anymore. _"Instead, I find you here, trying to turn our pack against our guests,_ in our own packland _, and trying to claim another alpha's mate?_

_"Dagur? Where are those deer."_

A silence permeated the air. Everybody assembled — wolf or human — was completely still, shadows dancing slightly from the unattended fire mostly obscured by the huts they were all behind. The air hung tense, until Dagur moved, his eyes focusing on Jack, threatening: _This isn't over_. And then he and the three alphas who had been behind him were turning around, walking away, with only Dagur's head not hung in shame.

_"You may return in two days. And if I see you before, or if I hear you disturb anybody from the Frost pack,"_ Oswald yelled at the slowly retreating formes. _"Sons, even pack alphas, can be made exiles."_

Even with Dagur gone, there was still tension hanging in the air, and Jack could smell that his own packmates had only slightly lowered their guard. With a heavy sigh, Oswald shifted in front of them, turning to face Jack and extending an arm.

"I wish that words would be able to make up for what my son has put you through, but they cannot. I'm only glad that my daughter made it here in time, and that neither you, nor your mate, nor your pack were harmed."

Jack closed his eyes, breathing deeply to try and let stillness come over him, but it took a few breaths before he was willing to shift and meet Oswald's gaze. "I am as well, and for that, Heather, you have my undying gratitude," he said, nodding towards the only-recently human beta.

"Jack, I would like to be able to continue to speak with you, and with your pack, and I think tonight would not be the appropriate time or mood to do so," Oswald said, and Jack couldn't figure out how he was Dagur's father. "I think our pack should show you our kindness and how we _properly_ receive guests. And we still will provide you shelter for the night, and I assure especial security for where you and your mate stay."

The words were said tentatively, with delicacy, and if what Heather had said earlier were to be believed, it seemed true that the Berserkers wanted — needed — to keep their alliances. And even at the rage he felt towards Dagur and the protectiveness he was feeling for a still-scared Hiccup, Jack wouldn't condemn two packs to demise because of Dagur. He didn't know what the future would show when Dagur became their pack alpha, and that scared him, but for now, he reached out and took Oswald's hand. "I say that we should try and see how your pack properly receives their guests," he said with a smile, and there was a mix of cheering and relieved sighs from all around them.

* * *

It felt — well, "strange" wasn't the right word to use, but Hiccup couldn't think of a better one. It felt strange to be celebrating alongside foreign wolves who only a short while ago had been ready to kill them, but who were now swinging mugs of ale and skewers of meat at them as though none of them had eaten before. There was laughing and cheering all around them, and the fire was roaring the dancing all around them was echoed by their shadows across the ground. It was loud and it was revelrous and maybe more than a bit surreal.

Astrid was the first to warm up, to relax entirely. It seemed she had good reason too. She and Heather were having quite a lot of fun, eating and dancing and drinking from the same mug until they started bumping into each other intoxicatedly. Snotlout was, more or less, very displeased with that development, and it had taken a lot of coaxing and a bit more ale before he noticed there were others who, likewise, stemmed his advances. Aster was more guarded. He _smelled_ calm — Hiccup was right next to him for a while at first — and his shoulders seemed to relax over the course of the night, but Hiccup could tell that he was still ready, still prepared to fight if he needed to, and the omega figured that he wouldn't truly relax until he was back in their own lands, resting in his den. He would probably not sleep much tonight, of no fault of the Berserkers' hospitality.

And Jack? Jack had his arm around Hiccup's waist for literally the entire night. Everywhere that one went, the other went with. Jack was a constant presence at his side, and while he had been the centre of a deathly standoff, nobody gave Hiccup a second glance. Jack was playing diplomat well, was meeting and greeting many of the Berserkers, and shared of mug of ale with Oswald, which seemed to ease the tension of everyone. But Hiccup could feel something building slowly throughout the night, something across their bond, and it was something that he hadn't felt from Jack before, something that he couldn't name, something that he couldn't even _identify_ ; all he knew was that it was directed _at him_. It was becoming so all-consuming that it was making Hiccup light-headed just from the bleed-over, and when Jack looked down at him, there was something wild in his eyes.

It could only go on for so long, Jack's composure. The strain across the bond was getting more and more tense, and finally, after slamming down his mug of ale with a loud, pleased sigh, he nodded with a smile at Oswald, before he picked Hiccup, actually threw the not-so-scrawny-anymore omega over his shoulder, and left the party, without a word to anyone, without a look to anyone. Hiccup was left, looking back, and those who turned their heads — Astrid and Aster included — all stared for a bit before returning to their individual focus, as though everything were normal.

But something was definitely not normal.

* * *

When they passed under the skins covering the entrance to the den where they'd be staying for the night, Hiccup found himself bodily flung from Jack's shoulder, landing with a somewhat painful crash on the pile of furs and blankets laid out in the centre. The omega looked up at his alpha, confusion and worry flooding through him, and was only met with a wild look in Jack's completely-red eyes.

"J-Jack? Are you alright?" Hiccup asked, fear creeping in. He'd never seen Jack like this before, and didn't know how to understand what he was feeling through the bond. "I'm— If I did something wrong, please tell me, I'm—"

Jack pounced on Hiccup, landing over him as though he were still a wolf, pressing the omega into the ground forcefully and pinning him in to the small space between Jack's limbs. Hiccup winced as Jack's leg slid between his own, pressing against his groin, and Jack's hands fervently traced up his sides, leaving red lines on the omega's freckled skin as his tunic was hiked higher and higher. The alpha dug his head in to the side of Hiccup's neck, inhaling and scenting him so deeply that it made Hiccup lightheaded, his senses beginning to overload at the stimulation and the excitement and fear of the situation.

"J-jack?" Hiccup managed, voice shaking under the alpha's touch. Jack pulled his head back from Hiccup's neck, keeping it directly in front of the omega's face, Hiccup's eyes almost crossing in an attempt to make contact with the alpha. Hiccup's heart was pounding in his chest.

"Mine," Jack growled loudly, before ripping the tunic from Hiccup with a mix of strength and wolf claws. The alpha's claws dug into Hiccup's shoulders, pulling the omega up and against Jack's chest. It was a rush of movements he couldn't keep up with, and then Hiccup felt his chest against the ground, Jack's hand on the centre of his back pressing down, the alpha shoving at the omega's legs and hiking his ass up higher. The alpha's other hand grabbed at his own, shoving the wrists together and dragging them above Hiccup's head. "Mine," Jack repeated, lowly, barely human, head bent down and hot breath falling on the omega's face.

When Jack bit down on the back of Hiccup's neck, over their mating mark that he lovingly kissed whenever he saw, it was with sharp canines, and it tore at the skin, Hiccup throwing his head back in a shrill whine. This wasn't Jack anymore; this was only his alpha, completely and totally provoked, brought to the surface and defending his claim over his omega. The bond was a frenzy of emotions, all of them indecipherable and foreign to Hiccup but which still screamed of possession and jealousy and rage. Not rage at Hiccup, but rage at every other alpha, at any other alpha, who was going to try and take his mate away from him.

Jack released his hold on Hiccup's back, using his own chest to continue pushing him into the floor, freeing his right hand as he stuck three fingers into Hiccup's mouth, the omega moaning around the rough digits shoving into and forcing their way around the omega's tongue and the cavern of his mouth. They weren't clawed anymore, but the movements were sharp and rough and fervoured, and Hiccup could do nothing (the omega in him wanted to do nothing) but suck on Jack's fingers as the alpha began to grind his hard erection against his backside and thrust their bodies together wildly. When Jack pulled his fingers out of Hiccup's mouth, it left the omega feeling empty and a choked whine escaped from his mouth, head surging forward to try and fill itself again. But Jack's hand was gone, and a second later the omega felt the first finger shove through his hole, digging all the way inside of him in a single, painful movement that caused him to cry out loudly and brought tears to his eyes.

The experience was unlike anything that Hiccup had had with Jack before. Their times together had certainly been wild and intense and fierce, had left them on the edges of their own humanity or even far beyond it; but this was feral, this was Jack under full command of his alpha, and the way he was handling his omega was just as unbarred. It would leave bruises, it would leave marks, and the omega knew that's just what the alpha wanted. Everyone was supposed to know who this omega belonged to, whose mate he was.

Hiccup shuddered and let out a scream when he felt the finger curl itself, rubbing fiercely against his prostate, pushing hard until he could feel slick beginning to form, filling up inside, and as Jack continued to milk his body, forcing more slick from Hiccup, he inserted another finger, widening his hole as Hiccup threw his head back and moaned loudly, slick beginning to fall out of him and run down his leg. Hiccup's body was shaking from the strain of keeping himself upright, and from the uncharacteristic roughness that Jack was handling him with, but it felt so good, the sensations overwhelming his mind as his body registered pure pleasure and his omega preened under the fierce and frantic devotion his alpha was putting on him. The omega could hear his own voice loudly in his ears, and he knew that everyone else outside — for a great distance — could hear as well. And he knew that was exactly what Jack wanted, and from the core of his primal side that his mate was bringing to the surface, that was what Hiccup was wanting too.

The omega's thighs were wet with slick as Jack continued to fuck his fingers in and out of Hiccup, rutting his own erection against the slick thighs. Hiccup's head felt light and he was barely holding onto consciousness as Jack continued to rub his fingers against his prostate. With a shudder and a scream, he came untouched, his own come hitting his chest and running down it, dripping onto the _whatever_ they were on top of. Hiccup was too far gone to know any of his senses anymore. Hiccup's muscles clenched through his orgasm, earning an aroused growl from his alpha, and it seemed to slow his actions as though he were in an afterdaze as well, but Hiccup cried with tears at the edges of his eyes when Jack's fingers didn't stop rubbing. "Ja-aack," Hiccup whined, back trying to arc as far as it could between the floor and Jack. "P-pleasse, Ja— _ack_."

There was intense vertigo as Hiccup lost all sensation of where he was or what was happening to him. Even his wolf was slow to process information he was so fargone, and it took him a few moments to realise that he had been flipped onto his back, the weight of Jack removed from him, and that his stretched hole was clenching down around nothing, Jack's probing fingers gone from inside him. He couldn't stop the shudders rising up through his body, though, and when he opened his eyes a few seconds later, Jack's alpha-red eyes were gazing down at him widely, face still wild and _alpha_. _"MINE,"_ he nearly yelled, as though that were the only word he knew, and he rolled Hiccup's lower body forward and sheathed himself inside Hiccup's slick hole in a single movement, bringing out a scream of pleasure and pain from the omega.

The pace was ruthless and unrelenting, Jack slamming into Hiccup, their bodies being shoved forward, Hiccup not having enough time to adjust to Jack's length or girth before it was gone again, and then breaching him all over again and making his mouth go wide and soundless. The alpha's mouth was all over his shoulders and neck, his collarbones, his cheeks — anywhere he could reach while he thrust into Hiccup with abandon, leaving as many marks as he could on the freckled omega's skin. Hiccup felt dizzy with the movement and the stimulation, but he could feel himself getting hard again even as his come was drying on his chest with Jack bent down just a tiny bit above it.

Hiccup began to babble when Jack's knot began to catch on his rim. "Breed me alpha, fuc— fill me up, knot me, breed me, make me yours, show me— show them, show them me carrying your pups" — that earned an especially ferocious growl from Jack against his skin — "knot me, breed me, a whole litter, the scent, a whole pack of your own, _al-PHA_ " Hiccup's voice hiked as Jack pulled out entirely, his knot stretching Hiccup wildly and leaving him feeling empty. Hiccup's eyes were dazed and unfocused as he tried to look down between them, where he saw Jack's erection hard, knot fully swollen, aching and dripping with precome, before the alpha took it into his own hands.

" _MY_ MATE," he growled loudly before he bit down on Hiccup's shoulder, hard enough that it threatened to break the skin, and then shot rope after thick rope of come between them, covering Hiccup's chest and stomach completely. The omega almost passed out from the smell of pure sex and lust, overwhelming pleasure from the bond, and the pain and arousal of Jack's bite, and he waited for Jack to collapse on top of him, completely spent in every way. But he felt Jack's presence pulling back instead, and he forced his eyes open, before they shut again almost instantly as the alpha took Hiccup's hard member in hand, coated and wet with a mix of the omega's own slick and Jack's thick come. It took only seconds before Hiccup's come mixed with Jack's pooling on top of him.

The omega couldn't think, could barely breathe, couldn't function, and his head lulled to what he believed was the side, but he couldn't even be sure of that anymore. In the afterbliss of his second orgasm, it took him almost a minute to register Jack's hands, roaming his body, coating his skin in something wet, and it took him even longer to register what was happening. He weakly raised his head and watched as Jack's hands dipped into the pool of come that completely covered Hiccup's upper body — Hiccup was always astounded to see (or more usually, swallow) how much come Jack produced — and then use his come-coated hands to cover another patch of Hiccup, trying to cover as much of him as he could. Under his breath, the alpha was still chanting "mine mine mine" like a mantra, and Hiccup could tell without needing to meet his eyes that Jack was still completely consumed by the alpha in him. He was covering Hiccup in some of the purest of his scent, rubbing it into his skin, completely covering Hiccup with the scent of Hiccup's alpha, so that nobody would be able to get anywhere close to Hiccup without being overwhelmed by the smell of Jack. The omega smiled as his head rolled to the side, eyes closed, letting Jack cover him in his scent, knowing that this feeling he'd been unable to decipher was a mix of _pure alpha_ brought to the surface, and possessiveness. It felt good, both to feel so deeply desired and protected and claimed, as well as physically, Jack's hands rubbing at his tense muscles, and Hiccup couldn't keep the smile from his face, but he couldn't keep the sleep from his body either, and he fell asleep to his alpha's rhythmic chanting.

* * *

"Hiccup, it's time to wake up."

_No, no it isn't. It's time for you to go away._ Hiccup rolled over and pulled the skins with him, curling in on himself to try and block out the sun that was beginning to creep through into the den. He felt someone — smelled Jack, though everything in the den smelled so heavily of Jack — drop down, wrapping their arms around him.

"Love, it's time for us to leave and go home." Hiccup at least opened his eyes at this, though only a little, and he didn't uncurl his limbs.

"Don't you have to, uh, don't you have to go speak with Oswald again?" he asked, voice more groggy than he expected. Jack just chuckled and Hiccup felt a light-hearted joy coming across their bond.

"Hiccup, it's already midday. You're probably the only person in this whole camp who is still asleep. I spoke with Oswald hours ago, and we've worked out enough of a deal that I think dad will be happy with us. Might not be happy with the way the rest of the way things went down," Jack admitted, and Hiccup could imagine his alpha's face contorting in mock contemplation and apology. "But we were definitely able to get the pack more than enough dyes to get us what we'll need from the humans." There were hands digging in through the skins now, and then looped under Hiccup's arms and began pulling. "So! It's time for us to go home, to our own pack and our own den, my little sleeping wolf." The omega growled in protest at being removed from his bed, but his stomach rumbled in betrayal, and he reasoned that if he was going to sleep anywhere for the four days of rest he felt like he needed, he'd rather it be on his own pillows and blankets in the safety of his own packlands.

Every alpha the pair passed as they made their way to the centre of the camp in the chill of the late season air wrinkled their noses and turned away, and Hiccup could sense the pride coming in from Jack, and it threw off their gait a little when Jack suddenly shot his arm out, looping it around Hiccup's waist and pulling him next to him. When they arrived at the campfire that Jack had been moving them towards, Astrid was the first to be greeting them, holding out a large skewer of cooked rabbit towards Hiccup. Her eyes went wide a bit as Hiccup approached and she almost took a step back as her nostrils flared, but then she shook her head and let the other omega pick the meat out of her hands. Aster and Snotlout moved down further from where they had been sitting when Hiccup took a seat on one of the logs and began to eat the first of what would be three full rabbits.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to lower when their group of five stood at the entrance to the Berserker camp, Oswald, Heather, and a host of other pack members there to see them off. It was later in the day than they would normally depart, but Hiccup was sure that everybody was ready to have their own lands under their feet and for things to return to their normal flow.

Astrid had already finished disrobing the temporary clothing that had been lent to her, and had handed it gently back to Heather, the two stopping for a moment with a gentle smile before the omega returned back to their line, where Aster and Snotlout already stood, trying to look dignified with their arms braced across their bare chests and trying to pretend that the wind wasn't as cold as it was. When Hiccup took his tunic off and returned it, the rest of his packmates' eyes went wide as they saw the extent that Jack had marked up his skin. Caught under the stares of both packs, Hiccup's face went violently scarlet, but he could feel Jack radiating with pride (probably the only person truly happy at this particular circumstance), and he could practically feel Jack's wish that Dagur were actually there to see them off and see how he had claimed Hiccup.

"We Berserkers don't have many allies in these lands, and so we need to learn to treasure and honour the ones that we do have. We once again thank the Frost pack for another year of continued trading and mutual beneficence, and we hope that you will always find us an ally to be able to turn to, now and in the future. The dyes that we have agreed upon will be sent to your lands within days following your departure, as we prepare them for the travel ahead. We hope that your return is safe, that your nights are warm, and that you travel with the Stars guiding your way," Oswald said with a bow of his head that Jack, Hiccup, and the others returned. Slowly, they turned to leave, shifting forms to be able to finally escape the biting wind and prepare for the road home.

"And Jack?" Oswald called out, causing the still human alpha to turn back towards the Berserker pack alpha. Hiccup, already a wolf, turned to look, and there was a moment of silence between the two as their eyes met and Hiccup felt certain he was missing something, but then Oswald broke out in a smug grin. "Tell North that his son drinks far better than he ever did." Jack smiled, nodding his head, and with a leap shifted into his wolf and led the way from the camp.

They were only a few minutes away from the camp before the others dragged to a halt, Hiccup turning to face them and seeing Aster's head retracted and his eyes shutting and Snotlout's entire head turned up and away from them.

_"Why don't you two scout ahead for a while,"_ Astrid said, shaking her head, the motion setting off a few snowflakes that had begun to fall from her fur.

Hiccup turned to look at Jack, who was just a few steps down the path from where he had stopped. The omega walked towards his mate, looking back at their uncomfortable packmates. _"Yes, why don't we go scout ahead,"_ he said, before nipping at Jack's tail and darting underneath the much larger alpha while he tried to turn, heading off towards their home, his mate closing in quickly on his heels.

**Author's Note:**

> THIS WAS NEVERENDING. Over 10,000 words. Oh my god, it took me forever, sorry about that guys. And sorry **faisyah865** , I didn't really get to address the fallout of Hiccup dealing with Dagur's friends berating him (as you could kinda see, I was setting that up for it), but there was just so much going on that by the end, I just needed to finish the fucking story. Oh man. But I hope you guys like it! As difficult as it was, this was a really fun story to tell, and I hope you guys enjoyed it all!
> 
> [KEEP SENDING ME HIJACK OMEGAVERSE PROMPTS, HEADCANONS, OR QUESTIONS!](http://ahhhlec.tumblr.com/ask) (They also don't have to be specific to Shifter!verse; the next prompt fill I do — which WON'T be 10k+ words — isn't going to be Shifter!verse)


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